Intermountain T4 Gevos?

[reinhardtjh]

Not that I need one, but if I did, I'd probably go with Intermountain since ScaleTrains gave a big FU to one of the major local hobby shops here and dropped them from their network.  This was after the shop placed a $15,000 (wholesale) order for SD40-2's.

Wow more expensive than Scale trains and two of the UP number are duplicates.

The numbers are the same as 6 of the 8 that IM delivered in HO a couple weeks ago.  Spot checking shows that it looks like IM is delivering a subset of the same numbers in N as they have in HO.

Retail is the same on both - $259.99 DCC/sound and $159.99 DCC ready.  Scaletrains has a pre-order discount that is decent, but I don't know what the retail guys will be able to do.  IM usually gives a pretty good discount to the hobby shops and at least they'll sell to my local shops and BLW.

[ljudice]

More info:


https://intermountain-railway.com/modelersclub/

[Scottl]

 

A T4 bonanza, and I heard a whisper about Kato too...

I'm committed to Scale Trains since I'll actually see them next year.  When IM's arrive in 2020 or so, I'll revisit.

[Englewood]

2020? Optimistic, aren't we? I'm still waiting on some SD40-2s I preordered 3 1/2 years ago. I really do like that Navajo Mine paint scheme so I'll get one of them. I'll pencil it in on the budget for 2021. Otherwise, I'm sure the Scaletrains version will be here pretty close to their scheduled date and I'll pick those up.

If these were designed by FVM, I wonder why they didn't release them themselves?

[ryan_wilkerson]

If these were designed by FVM, I wonder why they didn't release them themselves?

Glad they explained it (https://intermountain-railway.com/modelersclub/).
I'm happy to hear it's a FVM design. I like the performance of the mechanism, ease of converting to DCC (6 pin) and the detail pack (hopefully IM will have those too).

[Doug W]

I get the feeling N scale will be run into the ground by all of this redundancy. It's not like they're covered wagons, which were owned by lots and lots of railroads.

Yes. All this redundancy is bad news for N.

If we have to have duplication, why can't it be for a prototype that is/was very common, is/was used by multiple railroads in many different paint schemes that will never be produced an incumbent that is focused on 3-4 favorite road names, and hardly ever gets released. Like the SD40 or SD45.

It's also very annoying that Intermountain keeps announcing new locomotives, when it can't or won't deliver on its previous announcements.

[EspeeGoldenState]

I was kinda surprised in the email that they are doing the Navajo Mine Railroad T4s, kinda of an odd move to be honest.

I'm safe in my pre-order of the Scale Trains version as they are doing the GECX units where IM is not.

Chris

[drgw0579]

If its true the T4 "was designed be FVM", there's probably a lot going on behind the scenes that none of us will ever know about.

I don't feel redundancy will be bad.  Single source of a product that is likely to have a very long lifespan would be much worse.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were other players.  If you want to sell a modern and current locomotive, what else is there?  The EMD T4 hasn't sold in quantity, at least enough to justify developing the model.  The ES44 was in production for over 12 years, so even if the ET44 is replaced much sooner, there still will be many out there.

One thing for certain, the second to the party has to match the competition and can't lock in customers through pre-order.  We don't know what stage "the design" is in.  It could be close to being ready for production or they might not have started the design.  Dealer memo says Spring, and if they remember well the flak they took when the SD40-2 slipped an eternity. there's probably some reality to that. They don't have the excuse of the decoder not being ready, but hopefully ESU can ramp up production of the decoder to cover the new models developed for it (has anyone seen one on the open market?).

It would be hard as hell to pick up something like this midway through the project.  It's likely IMR thought long and hard about doing this, so like I said, there's probably a lot going on here.

Bill Kepner

[ednadolski]

Unless IM redesigned them, they'll probably have the dimples.

Thanks, that would be great!  Better for me in fact, since I like to make my own grabirons from scale-sized 0.005" wire (and while I have not yet seen the STs, other models with wire grabs that I have seen have always been oversized).

Ed

[jdcolombo]

If its true the T4 "was designed be FVM", there's probably a lot going on behind the scenes that none of us will ever know about.

. . .

They don't have the excuse of the decoder not being ready, but hopefully ESU can ramp up production of the decoder to cover the new models developed for it (has anyone seen one on the open market?).

It would be hard as hell to pick up something like this midway through the project.  It's likely IMR thought long and hard about doing this, so like I said, there's probably a lot going on here.

Bill Kepner

Hi Bill.

As far as I know, the new decoder boards aren't yet available in the retail channel.  Streamlined Backshop still shows them on backorder, and I haven't seen them available anywhere else.  It's likely that Atlas and IM are eating up production of these boards for the new models.  Kind of neat that "new tooling" stuff is including a sound option these days . . .

John C.

[carlso]

As most of you know, Matt was an IM employee before starting his own company. I am very pleased to read the comment regarding the FVM family situation improving somewhat. I for one, appreciate what Matt has accomplished and  has able to keep going under some very tough times.

Thanks Matt!

Regards,
Carl

[ljudice]

A T4 bonanza, and I heard a whisper about Kato too...

Kato should focus on NS C44-9W's, SP AC4400's and bringing out the AC4400 and SD70MAC in CSX YN3.

[cjm413]

Glad they explained it (https://intermountain-railway.com/modelersclub/).
I'm happy to hear it's a FVM design. I like the performance of the mechanism, ease of converting to DCC (6 pin) and the detail pack (hopefully IM will have those too).

IMRC mechanisms are jacked up like clown cars.

[peteski]

IMRC mechanisms are jacked up like clown cars.

Gevo Donks? 

[EspeeGoldenState]

Kato should focus on NS C44-9W's, SP AC4400's and bringing out the AC4400 and SD70MAC in CSX YN3.

And straight radiator SD70Ms!

Chris